Winter Storm Preparation

12/30/2019 (Permalink)

When the mercury drops in Colorado, it’s often a mad dash to batten down the hatches and prepare for the worst.

Winter storms in our state can be brutal. Between the high winds, freezing rain, hailstorms, and big-time snowfall, both home and business owners do themselves a favor by taking steps to prevent damage to their property. 

What can be done to help stem the damage caused by inclement winter weather in Colorado? Quite a bit, actually. The team at SERVPRO—the fire and water cleanup professionals serving Littleton and the surrounding area—is here to help with some tips. 

Actions to Take Before

As they say, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. To prepare for the worst that Colorado weather has to offer, do these five things now: 

• Sign up for alerts from local news or weather agencies. The National Weather Service or your favorite news outlet are great places to start. Make sure you are a part of whatever email or text-based alert programs they have available. This way, you’ll be made aware of potentially damaging weather before it gets here.
  

• Insulate pipes in your home or business. This can be tricky, as many of the pipes that serve water throughout a building can run behind walls and along difficult-to-reach crawl spaces. Locate whatever sections of pipe you can, and use things like old newspapers or insulation material to help protect them from freezing.
  
  Another great preventative measure is to allow taps to slowly drip the day before an expected freeze.

• Cover windows with plastic sheeting. Large, plastic sheets with enough surface area to cover windows are available at your local hardware store. This measure can help to insulate the home or business, as windows are often the ‘Achilles heel’ for most buildings encountering freezing weather.

• Ensure that your property insurance coverage is up-to-date. Check with your insurance provider to make sure that you have adequate insurance coverage in the event that winter weather does cause damage this season.

• Stock up on supplies that might be necessary in the event of a power outage. Things like batteries, lanterns, blankets, and ready-to-eat food will make periods of power interruption much more bearable. Try to avoid using things like generators or propane heaters as these can be causes for fires.

Even though the public utility companies in Colorado do a fantastic job of getting to work after a winter storm has hit, taking the above-listed actions will go a long way in preempting property damage caused by such a storm. 

Actions to Take After

Even though you might have done all you can to prepare for a bad winter storm, sometimes, the brunt of it can be too much for your property to stand.

Do these things after the storm has hit:

• Conduct a safety check of your building and land. In the aftermath of a strong winter storm, it’s not uncommon for there to be large accumulations of ice, snow, and slush. These hazards can post a significant post-storm danger. Walk your property and look for any potential safety risks.
  

• Document any damage and contact your insurance company as soon as possible. The best time to begin taking account of damage done by a storm is immediately after it has passed. Get your camera out, start taking pictures, and begin the claim process sooner than later.

• Monitor news sources for emergency information and/or alerts about more weather coming your way. Often, bad weather in Colorado is followed up with—you guessed it—more bad weather. Make sure you’re kept informed about whatever might be coming your way even after the worst of it seems to have passed.

• Contact SERVPRO to get a jumpstart on fixing damages. Remember that your SERVPRO team is standing by to help restore your property to pre-storm condition. We are experts at working with insurance companies, too, making the entire process much less of a headache than it has to be. 

Whatever winter weather Mother Nature decides to send our way this season, it will pay to be prepared for the worst. Implement the advice contained in this article, and you’ll be doing your part to ensure that you ‘weather the storm’ the best you can. 

Stay safe this winter season, and don’t hesitate to contact your local SERVPRO office to schedule an on-site evaluation of damage caused by inclement weather.

Remember that, when harsh weather strikes, you always have a restoration resource available to you, no matter the damage and no matter the cause.